Health is not rocket science. It is a continuous process which takes time, especially if you have never taken your health seriously. While we may be able to give you some tips, you need to take the first step. Here is how you can go about it:
1. Make a schedule: The first basic of starting healthy eating is by making and sticking to a schedule. This is because making a schedule will help you manage your day better, food wise. You can also consult a professional for the same.
2. Make a food diary: Making a food diary helps majorly as you’re jotting down everything that goes in your tummy. Get a diary and start writing everything that you eat. You will see a change in your eating habits in 21 days.
3. Slow changes: Changes take time. Whatever you have been eating for so many years, will take its own time to get out of your body. Therefore, be patient with yourself.
4. Fitness plan: Healthy eating goes hand in hand with a fitness plan. Get out and know which activity you like the most. It is not necessary to gym, you can opt for any activity that you like, because you will follow this plan for a long time.
5. Evaluate your body: Before starting any plan, it is important to understand your body.Therefore, evaluate your body first. You should know where you stand on the fitness parameter.
6. Eat your meals: Eat all your meals. Do not skip them. You will see that once you eat your meals properly, most of your issues will start going away. Eating right and good health are corresponding to each other.
7. Don’t crash diet: Crash diet does not help anybody. A hurried solution is a temporary one and should not even be considered as an option. Crash dieting is not healthy dieting even if you are on juices all day long.
8. Choose wisely: Whenever you’re going out, check the menu and make a healthy choice. Opt for dishes that are pan tossed rather than deep fried. Or go for dishes that consists a lot of colourful vegetables.
9. No carbonated drinks: The basic is to get rid of carbonated drinks. Do not keep consuming packaged drinks which may look harmless. Understand that ‘low-calorie’ or‘ zero-calorie’ often denotes hidden ingredients which may do permanent damage.
10. Refrain from alcohol and smoking: Alcohol and smoking can severely disrupt your system and also stop absorption of nutrients from the foods you consume.
11. Home cooked food: Sticking to home cooked food will help you as the quantities that go into the dish is controlled.
12. Fruits and veggies: Adopt fruits and vegetables as snacks. This is because you need healthy calories to keep yourself fuelled. Eat different colors of fruits and vegetables all through the day.
13. Portion size: Start checking your portion size. Keep it small and frequent as your body takes time to digest food and this will help you.
14. Read the label: Reading the label is an art and you should learn it right away. Every item you purchase off the supermarket shelf, should be carefully scanned by you. Hidden ingredients may add to your kitty and you do not want to jeopardise your food plan with this.
15. Fluid intake: Keep your water and other liquid intake intact. You require minimum two litres of water everyday and this can only happen if you keep a bottle with you at all times. Refrain from drinking packaged drinks.
16. Cook yourself: Start cooking yourself. Gradually, you will start understanding ingredients and what they do to your body. You will also be able to control what goes in your food.
17. Regular intervals: Eat at regular intervals. Eating at uneven intervals will make you hog on unhealthy foods at odd times.
18. Eat before 8 pm: After 12 pm, our metabolism starts slowing down. So the later you eat your food, the slower will be your digestion process.
19. Breakfast: Do not skip breakfast. This is the time your body will absorb all sorts of nutrients. This is because your body has repaired itself while you slept at night. If practicing healthy eating, do not even think about overlooking breakfast.
20. Include protein: Including healthy proteins like chaach, paneer, chicken, fish will help you in the long run.
21. Keep your kitchen fuelled with different types of grains and seeds: Use multigrain Atta, oats, flax multigrain bread, gram flour etc. Experiment with different types rather than sticking to wheat only. Take health in your hands and feel happier, healthier and more ALIVE!
Eat Healthy! Stay Healthy!